Hints will turn holiday photos into precious family keepsakes

The photographer must assume the role of director when focusing on families.
Washington Post
"All happy families resemble one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." To Tolstoy's famous dictum we might add: No family is exempt from the punishing business known as the holiday group photo, in which partially closed eyes, fidgety children and awkwardly posed subjects are as traditional as turkey and pumpkin pie.
Professional photographer Steven Begleiter, author of "The Portrait Book" (Amherst Media, 2003), knows from group shots; he once had to array more than 200 dark-suited lawyers in a single frame. Begleiter gave us five tips on how to make this year's family photo something to be treasured rather than tossed the week after Christmas.
UGet close up. "You don't have to get everybody's full body, from head to toe, in the shot. Their faces are what's most important."
UArrange artfully. "Have some people standing, other people sitting. Try especially to have the matriarch and/or patriarch of the family seated at the center, with all the members of the extended family surrounding them."
UMind the sun. "It never looks good when everybody is squinting. Always make sure that the sun is behind your subjects, not in front of them."
UMind the hour. "Photos taken in the middle of the day are more prone to overexposure, which makes everything look washed out. Try taking the picture in the morning or late afternoon."
UBe tough. "You're in charge. Don't be afraid to act like a movie director, telling people exactly where and how to stand. The photograph will turn out much better for it."